At the last event of his one-day Apostolic Journey to Mauritius on Monday, Pope Francis launched an appeal to the nation’s politicians and civil servants for a better distribution of economic prosperity to all sectors of society.

The Air Madagascar Airbus plane that is bringing Pope Francis back to the Vatican at the end of his 31st Apostolic Journey abroad has taken off from Antananarivo International Airport.

As is customary, the Pope’s outbound flight is always by Italy’s national airline Alitalia, while the national airline of the country he is leaving is the one to bring him back home.

Madagascar’s President, other political authorities, the nation’s bishops, and a crowd of faithful were at the airport to see him off, and the Guard of Honour gave him a final salute.Video at the link below--Pope Francis-Antananarivo- Departure Ceremony 2019-09-10https://www.youtube.com/user/vatican

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2019-09/pope-francis-inflight-press-conference-apostolic-visit-africa.htmlPope: we have fewer children because we are too attached to individual well-being10 September 2019, 20:47Pope Francis answers questions put to him by journalists on the flight from Antananarivo to Rome (ANSA)During the in-flight press conference on his way back from three African nations, Pope Francis recalls the joy of the children he met and says the State has the duty to care for families. He says that xenophobia is “a disease” and appeals for the safeguarding of cultural identity in the face of ideological colonization. He reflects on criticism he receives and answers a question regarding the rumours of a possible schism in the Church saying “I pray it will not happen, but I am not afraid.”By Alessandro De Carolis and Andrea Tornielli – flight from Antananarivo to Rome

People lining the streets lifting their children and thrusting them towards him as he goes by: for the Pope no gesture is more beautiful than this. It’s a gesture he witnessed in the Philippines, in Cartagena, in Colombia. He saw it again in Madagascar. “Children are the wealth of the poor,” he told the reporters listening to him speak three hours after take-off from Antananarivo during the customary press conference on the flight back to Italy. Pope Francis spoke at length about the trip, he answered questions put to him by journalists from the places he has just visited, and then he digressed, opening his heart to some of the experiences that most left a mark on him. His memory went to the esplanade of red-robed youth during the Vigil and Mass in Madagascar, to the million, perhaps “the mere 800 thousand” faithful he quipped, sitting on the ground with blankets, and backpacks and children and enough faith to stand up to wind, hunger and poverty. “There were poor people, there were people who had gone hungry in order to be there, but they were joyful”. They were “the people who wanted to be with the Pope”, an experience, it is clear, he will never forget. And he warned against those, people or groups, who “detach themselves from that sense of popular joy”. The “sadness of those who are lonely”, he said, is one of the “first signs” of those who have “forgotten their cultural roots”.https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2019-09/pope-francis-inflight-press-conference-full-text.htmlPope Francis' in-flight press conference: full text10 September 2019, 22:17

Pope appoints three cardinals to help lead synod on Amazon By Catholic News Service 9.9.2019 9:13 AM ET CNS photo/Paul Haring/Tyler OrsburnVATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Francis appointed three delegate presidents for the Synod of Bishops for the Amazon.

The pope named as delegate presidents for the Oct. 6-27 assembly Cardinals Baltazar Porras Cardozo, 74, of Merida, Venezuela; Pedro Barreto Jimeno, 75, of Huancayo, Peru; and Joao Braz de Aviz, 72, prefect of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life.

The Vatican announced the appointments Sept. 7.

Though Pope Francis, as pontiff, is president of the synod, the three cardinals will take turns presiding over the synod's daily sessions. The delegate presidents are also responsible for guiding the work of the synod and assigning special tasks to certain members, when necessary.

The special assembly on the Pan-Amazonian region will discuss the theme, "New Paths for the Church and for an Integral Ecology."

Pope at General Audience: leaven of Jesus to Mozambique, Madagascar, Mauritius11 September 2019, 13:41Pope Francis at the General Audience of 11 September in the Vatican.Pope Francis reflected on his just-concluded Apostolic Journey to Mozambique, Madagascar and Mauritius, saying as a pilgrim of peace and hope, he tried to bring the leaven of Jesus to the people of the three countries. By Robin Gomes

In his catechesis during Wednesday’s General Audience in the Vatican, Pope Francis recalled the various events of his memorable to Mozambique, Madagascar and Mauritius, 4-10 September.

“I thank God who has allowed me to complete this journey as a pilgrim of peace and hope,” the Pope said, adding, “Christ is the hope of the world, and His Gospel is the most powerful leaven of brotherhood, freedom, justice and peace for all peoples.” He said that with his visit, in the footsteps of the holy evangelizers, he tried “to bring this leaven, the leaven of Jesus, to the people of Mozambique, Madagascar and Mauritius”. https://zenit.org/articles/holy-fathers-september-11-2019-general-audience-full-text/Holy Father’s September 11, 2019 General Audience: FULL TEXT September 11, 2019 15:02•Virginia Forrester

Pope Francis receives the members of the Higher Committee working to achieve the goals delineated in the Document on Human Fraternity who met for the first time on Wednesday.By Sr Bernadette Mary Reis, fsp

Eighteen years to the day that the twin towers were attacked in New York City, the 7 member Higher Committee established for the purpose of acheiving the goals of the Document on Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together met together for the first time on Monday. Pope Francis received them at Casa Santa Marta at 8:30 on Monday morning. The Holy See Press Office released a statement regarding the meeting, saying that 11 September was chosen "as a sign of the will to build life and fraternity where others sowed death and destruction". Pope Francis greeted each Committee member and those heading the Committee's Secretariat, giving each of them a copy of the Document. His words expressed both gratitude and encouragement for these "artisans of fraternity". He hopes that they might be fundamental in initiating policies that not only represent "outstretched hands" but also "open hearts".

Pope calls for educational alliance to promote care for common home12 September 2019, 12:04

Pope Francis launches the Global Educational Alliance initiative to shape the future of humanity by forming mature individuals who can overcome division and care for our common home.By Devin Watkins

The Vatican will host a meeting on 14 May 2020 in the Paul VI Hall to reflect on the theme “Reinventing the Global Educational Alliance”.

The Holy See Press Office announced that the Pope has invited representatives from various religions, NGOs, academia, and cultural and political leaders to attend, in hopes of endorsing the “Global Compact on Education”.

Renew dialogue

Pope Francis lent his support to the initiative on Thursday.

In his written message, the Pope said the meeting “will rekindle our dedication for and with young people, renewing our passion for a more open and inclusive education, including patient listening, constructive dialogue, and better mutual understanding.”

Pope to Discalced Augustinians: fidelity to roots and tradition ensures the future12 September 2019, 14:19Pope Francis addressing the Discalced Augustinians on 12 September, 2019. (Vatican Media)Pope Francis received some 200 members of the General Chapter of the Discalced Augustinians in an audience in the Vatican on 12 September. By Robin Gomes

Detaching oneself from one’s roots in order to be modern will lead to ruin and suicide. Rather, one needs to go against the tide and bear Christian witness through prayer, penance, humility and charity, in order to speak to the heart of men and women of our time.

Pope Francis made the exhortation to some 200 members of the General Chapter of the Discalced Augustinians whom he met in the Vatican on Thursday. He told them that if they want their tree to grow, bloom and bear fruit, they must never detach themselves from their roots.

The Order of the Discalced Augustinians (OAD) is a contemplative-missionary community that gives primacy to spiritual life and the search for holiness through the special vow of humility and is available to the needs of the Church. The Order was established in 1610 as a reform movement within the Order of St. Augustine (OSA) that was formed in 1244.

Pope to newly ordained bishops: Be close to God and His people12 September 2019, 13:29Pope Francis greets newly-ordained Bishops (Vatican Media)Pope Francis meets with Bishops ordained in the last year and participating in a course organized by the Congregations for Bishops and for the Eastern Churches.By Vatican News

Pope Francis told the Bishops: “Our mission is to be for the Church and for the world the ‘sacraments’ of God's closeness”. Our world seeks this divine closeness, he said. “The Church herself is lost when she loses the life-giving tenderness of the Good Shepherd”.

Closeness to God

“Closeness to God is the source of the Bishop's ministry”, said the Pope, and “we exist to make this closeness palpable”. But we cannot communicate God's closeness without experiencing it, Pope Francis continued. “Without the closeness to the Sower”, we cannot accompany the growth of the seed “with patient confidence”.https://zenit.org/articles/125810/Pope Tells New Bishops to be Close to God and People September 12, 2019 20:22•Jim Fair

Pope Francis has written to the Ecumenical Patriarch, Bartholomew, in order, as the Pope says in his letter, “to explain more fully the gift of some fragments of the relics of the Apostle Peter that I presented to Your Holiness”.

The background to the gift

In the letter to the Orthodox Archbishop of Constantinople, Pope Francis reviews what he calls “the uninterrupted tradition of the Roman Church” which “has always testified that the Apostle Peter, after his martyrdom in the Circus of Nero, was buried in the adjoining necropolis on the Vatican Hill”.

The Pope goes on to recount how the tomb “quickly became a place of pilgrimage for the faithful from every part of the Christian world”, and how, later, the Emperor Constantine erected the Basilica dedicated to St Peter over the site.English text of the Pope’s letter at the linkhttps://zenit.org/articles/pope-writes-ecumenical-patriarch-batholomew-about-relics-he-gifted-from-st-peter/Pope Writes Ecumenical Patriarch Batholomew About Relics He Gifted from St. Peter Stresses ‘Our Evangelizing Mission in the Service of a Human Family that Today Is Tempted to Build a Purely Secular Future, a Future Without God’September 13, 2019 15:20•Deborah Castellano Lubov

Pope Francis to visit Thailand and Japan in November13 September 2019, 08:59Logos of Pope's Apostolic Journey to Thailand (L) and Japan. The Holy See Press Office announces Pope Francis’ Apostolic Journey to Thailand and Japan from 19 to 26 November. He will be the second Pope to visit these two Asian countries, after Pope John Paul II.By Isabella Piro

The Pope’s next Apostolic Journey will see him visiting two Asian countries: the Kingdom of Thailand, from 20 to 23 November, and then Japan from 23 to 26 November, where he will visit Tokyo, Nagasaki and Hiroshima. A detailed program of the visit will be announced later.

Thailand

The motto of the first stage of the Apostolic Journey is "Disciples of Christ, Missionary Disciples", and is a reference to an important anniversary. 2019 marks the 350th anniversary of the establishment of the Apostolic Vicariate of Siam, erected in 1669.

This event is represented in the logo prepared for the visit. Beneath a smiling Pope Francis is a boat that symbolizes evangelization. Its three sails recall the Trinity. The stylized representation of Our Lady’s hand supports the vessel. Finally, a golden cross invites the whole Thai Catholic Church to be a witness to the Good News.https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2019-09/pope-francis-japan-visit-wish-come-true.htmlPope Francis and Japan: a wish come true13 September 2019, 10:43

Vatican officials offer guidance for German church gathering By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service 9.13.2019 7:49 AM ETCNS photo/Harald Oppitz, KNAVATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The German bishops' plans for a two-year process of consultation and deliberation on key issues facing the Catholic Church must conform to universal church law and must be approved by the pope, said the prefect of the Congregation for Bishops.

Cardinal Marc Ouellet, prefect, sent a letter dated Sept. 4 to Cardinal Reinhard Marx of Munich and Freising and attached an analysis by the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts of proposed statutes for the German "synodal way."

The pontifical council said that, in proposing a process that would include "binding deliberations" on new rules for the church in Germany, the bishops were, in effect, planning a "plenary council," which would require prior approval by Pope Francis.

Matthias Kopp, spokesman for the German bishops' conference, said Sept. 13, "The assessment of the pontifical council deals with the draft version of the statutes as of June 2019 and does not yet take into account the version updated in July and after the meeting of the permanent council (of the bishops' conference) in August."

The most recent draft, he said, "no longer contains some passages to which the assessment refers." Kopp added that Cardinal Marx has been in touch with Cardinal Ouellet and would meet with him "in Rome next week to clear up any misunderstandings."

In his letter, which the German bishops posted on their website, Cardinal Ouellet referred to the letter Pope Francis wrote to German Catholics in June "to repeat some basic principles for an effective 'synodal journey' lived in harmony with the universal church."

According to a statement from Clarence House, the official office of the Prince of Wales, Charles will attend a reception at the Pontifical Urban College following the Mass. Newman studied at the college while preparing to become a Catholic priest.

Newman was a leading proponent of the Oxford Movement in the Anglican church, which advocated reintroducing older practices into worship. He eventually converted to Catholicism in 1845, becoming a priest soon thereafter. He was created a cardinal by Leo XIII in 1879. He died in 1890. Newman was beatified by Pope Benedict XVI in Birmingham during the pope’s 2010 visit to the United Kingdom.

Pope to Abramo Community: Be evangelisers, trust in God14 September 2019, 12:00

like Abraham, who puts his trust in God, and was able to leave his home for unknown places.By Francesca Merlo

“You carry a challenging name”, said Pope Francis when addressing members of the Abramo Community - in Rome to celebrate 30 years since their foundation. “Abramo”, Italian for “Abraham”, inspires the path to evangelisation that “you are called to carry out” he said.

Do not be afraid to be inspired by the great Patriarch Abraham, continued the Pope. May his life and actions teach each member “first of all, to obey the call of the Lord”.

Pope to Eastern Catholic Churches: love heals divisions14 September 2019, 13:34Pope Francis meeting bishops of the Oriental Catholic Churches of Europe. (Vatican Media)Pope Francis on 14 September received in audience some 40 bishop of Oriental Catholic Churches of Europe at the end of their annual meeting in Rome. By Robin Gomes

In the face of inequalities and divisions that threaten peace, we feel called to be artisans of dialogue, promoters of reconciliation and patient builders of a civilization of encounter that can preserve our times from the incivility of conflict. Pope Francis made this exhortation to some 40 Oriental Catholic bishops of Europe whom he received in audience in the Vatican on Saturday.

Sowers of the Gospel of love

“While so many people allow themselves to be caught up in a spiral of violence, in a vicious circle of demands and constant mutual recriminations, the Lord wants us to be meek sowers of the Gospel of love,” the Pope told the bishops who met him at the end of their 22nd annual meeting in Rome from 11 to 14 September, on the theme, “The Ecumenical Mission of Oriental Catholic Churches of Europe Today”.

“I feel that the way shown to us from on high is made up of prayer, humility and love,” the Pope told the bishops, noting they are committed to healing the wounds of the past, overcoming prejudices and divisions, and offering hope to all as they walk side by side on an ecumenical journey alongside their non-Catholic brothers and sisters. Today, there are 23 “sui iuris” Eastern Catholic Churches or Oriental Catholic Churches, also called the Eastern-rite Catholic Churches, that are in full communion with the Pope in Rome, as part of the worldwide Catholic Church.

Pope to Italian Prison Police: Punishment does not compromise the right to hope14 September 2019, 13:40Pope Francis arriving at his Audience with Italian Penitential Police (Vatican Media)Pope Francis meets with the Administrative Staff of the Italian Penitentiary Police in audience in the Vatican. To the police he expresses his gratitude, to chaplains and volunteers his encouragement to go forward, and he invites prisoners not to lose courage. By Vatican News

Vatican City has no prison system. Which is why it works closely with the Italian Penitentiary Police, the law enforcement agency responsible for prison security, inmate safety and transportation in Italy.

When he met with administrative staff of the agency in audience on Saturday, Pope Francis summarized his message in three simple terms, beginning with “Thank you”.

Thank you

“Thank you because your work is hidden, often difficult, but essential”, said the Pope. “In addition to being guardians of security, you are a close presence for those who have fallen into the nets of evil”. Pope Francis called the Prison Police “builders of the future” because they “lay the foundations for a more respectful coexistence and for a safer society”.

Patriarch Bartholomew: The gift of the relics is a crucial step 14 September 2019, 14:00

In an exclusive interview, the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople speaks of his surprise at Pope Francis' unexpected gift, and says how the key to evangelization is through service. He also mentions the fires in the Amazon, and explains the spiritual and theological reasons why we need to be committed to the environment.By Andrea Tornielli

The Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, Orthodox Archbishop of Constantinople, has described Pope Francis’ gift of a portion of the relics of Saint Peter as "a new milestone" and a "crucial step" in the journey towards Christian unity.

Read the full text of the exclusive interview with Vatican News and L'Osservatore Romano below.

Your Holiness, what was your first reaction when you received Pope Francis’ gift of the reliquary containing the nine fragments of the bones believed to be those of the Apostle Peter?

"I must admit that at the beginning we were very surprised to learn that His Holiness, our brother Pope Francis, was giving us such a treasure. This gesture surprised many. Not even the delegation of the Ecumenical Patriarchate that was in Rome for the patronal feast of our Sister Church expected it. Usually this type of event is the subject of protocol discussions. It was not so this time. We sincerely appreciate this gift, which is the manifestation of spontaneity, a sign of the true fraternal love that today unites Catholics and Orthodox".

Pope Francis expresses joy over Russia-Ukraine prisoner exchange15 September 2019, 12:22A recently exchanged Ukrainian prisoner is greeted upon arrival in Kiev At the Angelus on Sunday, Pope Francis expresses his joy over the exchange of Russian and Ukrainian prisoners, and prays for lasting peace in eastern Ukraine.By Francesca Merlo

"Last week" said the Pope, "the long awaited exchange of prisoners between the Russian Federation and Ukraine took place".

He told the faithful gathered that he rejoices "for the people who have regained their freedom, and are able to re-embrace their loved ones". Last week, 33 Russians who were being held in Ukraine, landed in Moscow. On the same day, 35 Ukrainians, being held in Russia, landed in Kiev.